Caution: Translations of Quran and Ḥadīth may lead to possible misapplications and misinterpretations. This site is intended for students of sacred knowledge that are proficient in comprehending classical Arabic and have a strong foundation in Islamic sciences. Also note that religious injunctions rely on several aspects beyond what one may glean through reading individual aḥādīth.
Qurʾān Bukhārī Muslim Nasāʾī Abū Dāwūd Tirmidhī Ibn Mājah Mālik Aḥmad Dārimī Ḥākim Ibn Ḥibbān Ṭabarānī Nasāʾī's Kubrá Bayhaqī al-Luʾluʾ wa-al-Marjān Ibn Rajab's Fifty Riyāḍ al-Ṣāliḥīn Aḥmad's Zuhd Suyūṭī
tirmidhi:2454 – Muḥammad b. Bashhār > Yaḥyá b. Saʿīd > Sufyān from his father > Abū Yaʿlá > al-Rabīʿ b. Khuthaym > ʿAbdullāh b. Masʿūd

'This is the son of Adam, and this is his life-span encircling him, and this one in the middle in the person, and these lines are his obstacles, if he escapes this one, this one ensnares him, and the line extending outside is his hope.'"  

الترمذي:٢٤٥٤ – حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ بَشَّارٍ حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ سَعِيدٍ حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ أَبِي يَعْلَى عَنِ الرَّبِيعِ بْنِ خُثَيْمٍ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ مَسْعُودٍ قَالَ

خَطَّ لَنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ خَطًّا مُرَبَّعًا وَخَطَّ فِي وَسَطِ الْخَطِّ خَطًّا وَخَطَّ خَارِجًا مِنَ الْخَطِّ خَطًّا وَحَوْلَ الَّذِي فِي الْوَسَطِ خُطُوطًا فَقَالَ هَذَا ابْنُ آدَمَ وَهَذَا أَجَلُهُ مُحِيطٌ بِهِ وَهَذَا الَّذِي فِي الْوَسَطِ الإِنْسَانُ وَهَذِهِ الْخُطُوطُ عُرُوضُهُ إِنْ نَجَا مِنْ هَذَا يَنْهَشُهُ هَذَا وَالْخَطُّ الْخَارِجُ الأَمَلُ هَذَا حَدِيثٌ صَحِيحٌ  

See similar narrations below:

Collected by Bukhārī, Dārimī, Nasāʾī's Kubrá
bukhari:6417 – Ṣadaqah b. al-Faḍl > Yaḥyá > Sufyān from my father > Mundhir > Rabīʿ b. Khuthaym > ʿAbdullāh

The Prophet ﷺ drew a square and then drew a line in the middle of it and let it extend outside the square and then drew several small lines attached to that central line, and said, "This is the human being, and this, (the square) in his lease of life, encircles him from all sides (or has encircled him), and this (line), which is outside (the square), is his hope, and these small lines are the calamities and troubles (which may befall him), and if one misses him, an-other will snap (i.e. overtake) him, and if the other misses him, a third will snap (i.e. overtake) him."  

البخاري:٦٤١٧ – حَدَّثَنَا صَدَقَةُ بْنُ الْفَضْلِ أَخْبَرَنَا يَحْيَى عَنْ سُفْيَانَ قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي أَبِي عَنْ مُنْذِرٍ عَنْ رَبِيعِ بْنِ خُثَيْمٍ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ؓ قَالَ

خَطَّ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ خَطًّا مُرَبَّعًا وَخَطَّ خَطًّا فِي الْوَسَطِ خَارِجًا مِنْهُ وَخَطَّ خُطُطًا صِغَارًا إِلَى هَذَا الَّذِي فِي الْوَسَطِ مِنْ جَانِبِهِ الَّذِي فِي الْوَسَطِ وَقَالَ هَذَا الإِنْسَانُ وَهَذَا أَجَلُهُ مُحِيطٌ بِهِ أَوْ قَدْ أَحَاطَ بِهِ وَهَذَا الَّذِي هُوَ خَارِجٌ أَمَلُهُ وَهَذِهِ الْخُطُطُ الصِّغَارُ الأَعْرَاضُ فَإِنْ أَخْطَأَهُ هَذَا نَهَشَهُ هَذَا وَإِنْ أَخْطَأَهُ هَذَا نَهَشَهُ هَذَا  

darimi:2771 – Musaddad > Yaḥyá > Sufyān from his father > Abū Yaʿlá > al-Rabīʿ b. Khuthaym > ʿAbdullāh

[Machine] The Messenger of Allah ﷺ drew a square for us, then drew a line through the middle of it, and drew lines around it. He drew a line outside the square and said, "This person represents the middle line, and this circle encloses it. These lines represent the qualities. If one's line deviates, the others will correct it. And this hope is for the outside line."  

الدارمي:٢٧٧١ – حَدَّثَنَا مُسَدَّدٌ حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى عَنْ سُفْيَانَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ أَبِي يَعْلَى عَنْ الرَّبِيعِ بْنِ خُثَيْمٍ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ قَالَ

خَطَّ لَنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ خَطًّا مُرَبَّعًا ثُمَّ خَطَّ وَسَطَهُ خَطًّا ثُمَّ خَطَّ حَوْلَهُ خُطُوطًا وَخَطَّ خَطًّا خَارِجًا مِنَ الْخَطِّ فَقَالَ «هَذَا الْإِنْسَانُ لِلْخَطِّ الْأَوْسَطِ وَهَذَا الْأَجَلُ مُحِيطٌ بِهِ وَهَذِهِ الْأَعْرَاضُ لِلْخُطُوطِ فَإِذَا أَخْطَأَهُ وَاحِدٌ نَهَشَهُ الْآخَرُ وَهَذَا الْأَمَلُ لِلْخَطِّ الْخَارِجِ»  

nasai-kubra:11764 – ʿAmr b. ʿAlī > Yaḥyá b. Saʿīd > Sufyān al-Thawrī from his father > Abū Yaʿlá Mundhir al-Thawrī > al-Rabīʿ b. Khuthaym > Ibn Masʿūd > Khaṭ al-Nabī Ṣallá

The Prophet ﷺ drew a square and then drew a line in the middle of it and let it extend outside the square and then drew several small lines attached to that central line, and said, "This is the human being, and this, (the square) in his lease of life, encircles him from all sides (or has encircled him), and this (line), which is outside (the square), is his hope, and these small lines are the calamities and troubles (which may befall him), and if one misses him, an-other will snap (i.e. overtake) him, and if the other misses him, a third will snap (i.e. overtake) him." (Using translation from Bukhārī 6417)  

الكبرى للنسائي:١١٧٦٤ – عَنْ عَمْرو بْنِ عَلِيٍّ عَنْ يَحْيَى بْنِ سَعِيدٍ عَنْ سُفْيَانَ الثَّوْرِيِّ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ أَبِي يَعْلَى مُنْذِرٍ الثَّوْرِيِّ عَنِ الرَّبِيعِ بْنِ خُثَيْمٍ عَنِ ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ قَالَ

«خَطَّ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى الله عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَّ خَطًّا مُرَبَّعًا وَخَطَّ خَطًّا فِي الْوَسَطِ خَارِجًا مِنْهُ وَخَطَّ خُطُطًا صِغَارًا إِلَى هَذَا الَّذِي فِي الْوَسَطِ مِنْ جَانِبِهِ الَّذِي فِي الْوَسَطِ» وَقَالَ هَذَا الْإِنْسَانُ وَهَذَا أَجْلُهُ مُحِيطٌ بِهِ أَوْ قَدْ أَحَاطَ بِهِ وَهَذَا الَّذِي هُوَ خَارِجٌ أَمَلُهُ وَهَذِهِ الْخُطَُطُ الصِّغَارُ الْأَعْرَاضُ فَإِنْ أَخْطَأَهُ هَذَا نَهَشَهُ هَذَا وَإِنْ أَخْطَأَهُ هَذَا نَهَشَهُ هَذَا